The Challenge
by iloveyoumost
Summary: It's been 5 years since Klaus left Mystic Falls, and not much has changed. Until Damon brought Charlotte into Elena's picture. Read and Review! :D
1. Chapter 1

**This storyline just popped into my head randomly today.. it's not going to be a oneshot like my other Delenas. I think I'm going to make it an actual story. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Elena stood in front of her floor length mirror, carefully inspecting today's ensemble. She had chosen a pair of dark jeans, and a black knitted shirt. She nodded in approval. It had been 5 years since Klaus left Mystic Falls, and things had started looking up for Elena. Stefan was still an ass, but Damon was still Damon. Elena had figured out that he would never change, and she had become okay with that.<p>

Through it all, she had gotten used to being alone. Sure, she still had Caroline and Bonnie. She even had Damon. Even she'd admit, they'd become best friends. In those long 5 years, he'd become her most loyal companion. He'd stood by her side through thick and thin. Everyone could see how close they'd become.

Elena continued to stare into the mirror until she heard her phone start to ring. She moved over to her bed, and picked it up, looking at the caller id. It was Damon. To be honest, she didn't expect anyone different.

"Hello?" She spoke into her cell, moving to pick up her purse and sweater.

"Why aren't you here yet?" Damon said, sounding exasperated.

Elena sighed, walking out of her room. "I'm leaving now. Calm down."

She was meeting him at The Grill, for their weekly lunch 'date'. It had been their tradition for as long as she could remember. It was almost like a religion.

"Well hurry up. I've been waiting for almost 5 minutes."

Elena shook her head, "Oh, no. You might die!" With that said, she hung up, stepping out of the apartment she rented, and walked to her car. She drove to The Grill, the short trip only about 5 minutes long.

When she arrived, she walked over to their booth, sitting in the seat across from him.

"Hello, Elena." Damon said, his Vampire-suave voice making her heart beat fast, like it usually did.

"Hi." She sighed, setting her purse beside her. She looked at him, trying not to notice his deep stare into her eyes. She looked away, pretending to play with the salt and pepper shakers on the table.

"So, I have some utterly great news." Damon slurred, taking a sip of water.

Elena forced herself to look at him, "Oh yeah? What's the latest drama?" She grinned at him, because there was always something new happening in Damon's life. Whether it was a new girl, or car, or anything involving him snooping into other people's lives. No matter what, there was always drama involved.

"Well, Miss Gilbert, you'll be happy to know that I found myself a nice lady." He flashed her a toothy grin.

"Oh, really, Mr. Salvatore? And what did you compel her to do? Sleep with you? That would be the.. what is it? Fourth girl this month?" Elena chuckled, taking his water and drinking some.

Damon rolled his eyes. "For your information, Elena, I never slept with any of them. We just.. kissed. A lot." He grinned again, looking at her.

Their waiter finally arrived, and Elena ordered a soda, and cheeseburger with fries. She liked to keep it simple. Damon ordered nothing. "Somehow, I don't believe a word you just said." She laughed, placing her hands on the sides of her face, putting her elbows on the table.

"Well, that's not my problem, is it?" He cocked his head to the side, waiting for her response. "So, how's Jeremy these days?"

She gave him a hard look. "How's Stefan these days?"

"Ouch… that bad, huh?"

She nodded, looking out the window. She watched people walk by, just living their lives. Like normal people, she thought. _Sometimes I just wish this was someone else's life. And that I could be the passerby. Not the other way around. _Jeremy lived in New York. He was a graphic designer, and he rarely got in touch with Elena. She knew he wanted to forget everything. Everything and anything that had to do with Vampires, Werewolves, and even Mystic Falls, Virginia in general. She hadn't heard from him in almost 3 weeks. She sighed, looking at Damon.

She studied his features, noting how different he looked. He'd always been the same weight, but today he had a happy atmosphere surrounding him. Like something was _very _different.

"Hi, baby!"

Elena looked over to see where it came from, and she saw a tan girl with long brown hair walking towards them.

"Char!" Damon exclaimed, getting up and walking over to the girl. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead, a gesture that made Elena cringe.

They walked over to the booth and both sat across from Elena.

"Elena, this is Charlotte. My girlfriend." Damon smiled widely, and the girl he called Charlotte stuck her hand out so Elena could shake it.

"Oh my gosh, Damon's told me so much about you." She smiled at Elena, and Elena took her hand, shaking it firmly.

"Hello, Charlotte. It's nice to meet you." Elena faked a grin. Damon had never had Elena meet any of his 'girlfriends' before.

This time it seemed different. The way Damon gazed at her, the way he stroked her long, wavy hair with his hand. It made Elena want to punch her fist through a wall. And she didn't know why.

"It's nice to meet you, too! Damon, why haven't you introduced us before? We've been dating a month now." She turned to look at him, wide-eyed.

Elena stared at Damon, confusion spread across her face. "What?" Elena continued to stare, baffled.

Damon smiled, "Yeah, I told you she was something special didn't I?" He chuckled.

Elena could do nothing but stare at the two. She was lost for words, for once in her life, she didn't know what to say. But she knew that this time, it really was different.

Damon was different.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you guys enjoyed this and i'll be updating at least once a week with a new chapter! REVIEW!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Time for chapter 2! I hope you guys are enjoying this story. :] I'm going to post my twitter account link in my profile so you can follow me and see my thoughts on any new stories or oneshots I'm thinking about writing! :] Enjoy!**

Elena tensed up, watching Damon and Charlotte play pool. She didn't know why she was feeling this way. Everything about them made her cringe. The way Damon looked at her, the way she looked at him. The way they moved together, almost perfectly in sync.

She sipped her water, watching them from a distance. She didn't want to be a stalker and stare at them the whole time, but she couldn't help herself.

It had barely been an hour since Elena met Charlotte Castrione, and the girl was certainly nicer than Elena had thought.

She stood up, grabbed her bag, and walked over to them. She'd had enough already, and just wanted to go home. "Hey, guys, I think I'm gonna head home. I'm feeling a little under the weather."

"Aw, really? I was looking forward to getting to know you better!" Charlotte exclaimed, making a pouty face.

Damon looked at Elena cautiously, watching her expressions. He wasn't buying Elena's excuse.

"Yeah, me too. But we'll see each other again, right?" Elena replied, showing off a fake smile.

Charlotte nodded. "Well, I hope you feel better." She smiled at Elena.

Damon stared at her. "Well, Elena, it was nice to hang for a little bit. You should get home." Damon said to her, grinning.

Elena nodded, waved, then headed out to her car. Once she got inside, she sighed loudly, placing both hands on the wheel. _Calm down, girl. Why are you feeling this way?_ She thought, looking at the cars driving by.

In her heart, she knew exactly why she felt this way. Jealous, upset, hurt, sad, furious, wanting to punch something or someone. She loved Damon Salvatore. She always had.

But her mind refused to let her feel it.

Once Elena got home, she took off her jacket, set her purse down, and went in her bathroom, wetting a wash cloth with cold water and wiping her face. She needed to cool down, and this method always seemed to help her.

She dried herself off, and walked into her bedroom, but stopped suddenly when she saw a dark figure standing near her window. She gasped loudly, then realized it was just Damon. "Jesus, Damon, why do you always do that to me?" She held her hand to her chest, trying to get her heart to return to its normal rate.

"Sorry, I just couldn't resist." He grinned at her, walking over to her bed and taking a seat on the edge.

"What are you doing here? Where's Charlotte?" She asked, sitting next to him.

"I knew something was wrong, so I dropped her off at home and came here. What's wrong, Elena? And I know you didn't leave just because you don't feel good. I know when you're lying, so don't even try it right now." He gave her a hard look, waiting for her to answer.

She waited a few moments, trying to think of a good excuse. "It's a lot of things, really." She forced herself to look up at him, then looked down again. "It's Jeremy, and it's you. And It's Charlotte."

He looked confused. "Charlotte? Why?"

She sighed. She didn't want to tell him the truth, but knew she had to think of something quick.

"I just honestly wasn't expecting you to get a girlfriend anytime soon. You're not exactly boyfriend material, Damon." She looked at him again, willing herself to lie.

She didn't want to lie to him. But she didn't want him to know the truth either. She didn't want him to get what he always had wanted. Before Charlotte.

But now that Damon had her, what difference would it make if he did know?

**I know this chapter was a bit short, but i didn't have much time and i wanted to update! Review! And check my profile for my twitter account so you can follow me and see what new ideas i'm thinking of. :) **


End file.
